Anderson getting another shot

Updated 11:20 pm, Wednesday, November 21, 2012

BOSTON — James Anderson was at his temporary home in McAllen on Monday, torturing himself on a night off from playing with the Development League's Rio Grande Vipers by wistfully watching his old team on television.

Anderson saw Stephen Jackson fracture a pinkie finger early in the Spurs' setback to the Los Angeles Clippers, but had no inkling how drastically his plans for the week were about to change.

About an hour later, Anderson's phone rang. His agent was calling to say the Spurs had a job for him.

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Down two small forwards with usual starter Kawhi Leonard also out, the Spurs re-signed Anderson before the start of a six-game road trip that began Wednesday night with a 112-100 win in Boston, plucking him from the D-League and offering one more chance — however brief — to prove he belongs in the NBA.

The Spurs' No. 1 draft choice in 2010, the 6-foot-6 Anderson spent two mostly disappointing seasons with the team and became a free agent in July. After being waived by Atlanta in training camp, Anderson wound up in the D-League, utterly convinced he didn't belong there.

“There's no doubt in my mind I can play in this league (the NBA),” said Anderson, 23.

A former Big 12 Player of the Year at Oklahoma State, Anderson averaged 3.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 77 career games with the Spurs, his first two NBA seasons hijacked by injuries and missed opportunity.

Signed to a non-guaranteed deal at the league minimum, Anderson will wear No. 11 in his second tour with the Spurs. His return brings the Spurs' roster to 15, the league maximum.

Before sticking with the Spurs last season, Green had been waived three times by two NBA teams — one being the Spurs — and spent some time bouncing around the basketball bush leagues.

“You see where he is now, it's all paid off for him,” Anderson said. “Everybody has different roads.”

Joseph back, too: The Spurs further fortified their bench by also calling up point guard Cory Joseph from the Austin Toros before Wednesday's game.

Joseph had logged four seconds in one game before his Nov. 15 assignment to the D-League.

Duncan is one that got away: Earlier this week, Boston coach Doc Rivers told reporters that his greatest failing as a free-agent recruiter came in the summer of 2000, when he swung and missed on luring Tim Duncan to Orlando.

Duncan said Rivers shouldn't be so hard on himself.

“He made his pitch,” Duncan said. “I don't know there's anyone to blame for it. It's just a decision that went one way or the other and I decided to stay.”